1st Trimester

2nd time moms

So, with my little girl I breast fed until she was 4.5 months, and then I stopped because I couldnt pump enough at work to keep up with her, and it was a lot of hassle for her to end up with like one bottle of breast milk a day. I am kinda debating what to do with the second one, because breast feeding was not easy for me at all, and I really want to provide the nutritional benefits of breast milk, but I wonder if it is worth it where I know I will have to go back to work and probably can only really do it for a few months?  Is anyone else in the same boat? what are your plans?
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Re: 2nd time moms

  • With my 15 month old I wanted to BF until he was a year old. I met my goal but it was tough! I also work full time, so I had to pump alot. After awhile he would have 2-3 pumped bottles and 1 bottle of formula for daycare, because it was hard to keep up with his demands. So this is my plan for the next baby... pump as much at work as possible and BF for a year. It is difficult at work but my coworkers are super supportive. Laura
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  • They say that any breast milk is better than none at all.  Even if you can only do it for a few months, she will receive many of the benefits.  You can also continue to pump while at work, but also supplement with formula. 



  • I personally think even a few months is better than nothing
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  • I was the last person on the planet that thought I would have nursed and did it for 6 months. It was extremely difficult and working full time and trying to pump was hugely overwhelming. This time around I would love to do it again but would introduce a mix of breast milk and formula a LOT earlier on! Getting help from others especially my DH in the middle of the night will be huge and the last time around it was always just me!

     

  • Work was really my biggest problem, I had to pump after she ate to keep up before I went back to work, and everyone says they are supportive, but I really usually only could get a chance to pump once, maybe twice a day with meetings & what not, and my production just dropped off.

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  • I had a really hard time too with DD. I only made it 2 months because of thrush and going back to work. I am still glad I did it for the first 2 months of her life and plan on doing it for as long as I can with the next one as well.
  • I EBF'd until DS was just shy of 6 months.  Work is what killed it for me...I am a nurse on a busy cardiac floor and some days I could only get time to pump once...some days not at all.  It was hard for me, because my goal was to go for a year.  

    With #2, I plan to EBF again as long as I can.  6 months is my goal, but if I can go longer, I'll be stoked! 

  • I would just nurse until I went back to work or if I was up for it, try to do the pumping at work again.  I think a little is probably better than nothing and honestly, it is so much easier to nurse than have to make a bottle in the middle of the night. 
    Anna Kate 10.17.2009 Alexander 6.10.2011 Baby Girl 6.2014
  • I made it to 9 months with my first. I plan to try it again as long as possible, without stressing about it too much. I couldn't keep up with him at that point and stressing only made it worse. Turns out formula worked out just fine the last couple of months :) I pumped while working fulltime and plan on doing that again. Every baby is different so maybe this time will be easier for you.  Good luck to you all!
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  • I did it for six weeks because I had heard at the time that six weeks was what you want to do at the very least.  After I stopped, I was mad I did. I will probably do it for at least 6-8.  I am worried about going back to work and still nursing, but I guess we will see.  

    Brittani, my DS had thrush too.  That was just awful!

     Danielle

  • I BFed Kate for a year and plan to do the same this time around. I pumped at work 2-3 times a day for 6 months.  We ended up having to supplement some and nurse just mornings and evenings and she got a bottle of BM and a bottle of formula but I was fine with that...I loved nursing and can't wait to do it again.
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  • I made it to nine months last time with my son, but it was definitely hard once I went back to work -- and we supplemented with a bottle of formula almost immediately upon my return.  Like others, it was just too difficult to keep up with his demand.

    This time, I plan to pump and build up a supply from day one (maybe day five :).  I want an enormous stash when I go back to work.  Last time, I didn't start pumping until he was maybe 6 weeks old, b/c that was the advice I received.  This time, I know better.  The supply will drop off significantly once I return to work, so the more I have saved, the better. 

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  • Any breast milk is better than none. You never know with this baby it might be completely different. My only piece of advice would be to try and if it doesnt go as plan you can stop or it could go amazingly. 

    I am still bfing DS, so clearly I am a big supporter of it. I am not sure when he will be weaned, but probably within the next few months.

    I plan on nursing this one until pregnant with the next one. Hoping that will be shortly after they turn one.  

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  • I BF until a few weeks ago -- I got pregnant while nursing. I definitely plan on nursing all my babies for a year minimum (barring any major problems, obviously!) Any amount of nursing is great for the baby, so I'd give it a shot again with this one if I were you.

  • I am still nursing my toddler, so maybe I am biased... but I think that breastfeeding has benefits for both mother and child, and that you should certainly try it again.  What do you have to lose?  I think the key for me in keeping it up so long is that I have always felt that breastfeeding is not a choice, it's just something that moms do.  So I haven't had any goal in mind of how long I'm going to nurse, just until my DD is done.

    I have faced many obstacles in pumping at work, but I've been clear to everyone (likely even b!tchy about it) that I need to pump and there are are no other options.  I'm very open about it.

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  • I only made it for 2 months because I had issues producing!  My DD wasn't getting satisfied and I would wind up giving her more formula than BM.  I tried pumping and got a few ounces... so I just decided it wasn't worth it any more.  I am trying again this time and see if it works out... well i am hoping it works better.  I will discuss with my dr before to see if there is anything i can do to help me this time around.
    Erika
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  • I SAH, but my mom worked when I was a baby and she just nursed morning, night, and weekends and the daycare gave me formula (she went back to work when I was 3 months).  Her supply adjusted and she was able to nurse me until I was 16 months.  Perhaps you could do something like this so that you can enjoy a bf relationship but not have to stress about pumping?  
  • I just worry about time management with two. It scares me! How am I supposed to put one to bed while the other demands to be BF? I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I'm leaning more towards bottle feeding this baby. I BF DS for about a month, but MH travels a ton for work so I don't really have him around to help. And what do you do when the baby wakes up crying and it wakes the first child and now the first wants to be cuddled back to sleep, ut the baby wants to eat? It just seems like a lot to wrap my brain around.
  • imagestaycee:
    I personally think even a few months is better than nothing

    THIS.

    I'd do it as long as you can. Even if that's just a few months, that's a few months LO got the best thing they can get. And who knows, maybe this time it'll be easier.

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  • Unfortunately I could not breastfeed for very long, I could only pump for a week.. :( I felt terrible not being able to give any more to my son. But I suffer from hormone induced Migraines (had to take medication), but i am happy i could give him just a little bit. I think even a little would be good. But don't feel guilty if you can't do it, use formula if you have to. 

    If you can do the breastfeeding do it. I hope I can breastfeed my next child  (11 weeks prego now), but i guess we'll see.

     

  • I BF for 7 months and work killed it for me too.  I had short term goals for my daugther, first it was 3 weeks and then 6 weeks.  By the time I was at 6 weeks, I fell into a groove and found it easier especially for night time feedings.  When I went back to work, it became very difficult to pump.  My husband, mother and MIL were my cheerleaders to keep going.  Now I am a SAHM.  M goal is 6 months but like the PP, I would be happy to hit the year mark.

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